Tuesday, 20 May 2014

The European Union Times

Russia finishes drills near Ukrainian border, withdraws troops

Posted: 19 May 2014 04:07 AM PDT

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to send troops back to bases from drills they were having in the southwestern regions of Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk, on the border with Ukraine.
“As the planned spring stage of the drills, which included redeployment of the troops to training areas in Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions, has come to an end, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to send troops back to their permanent bases and to go on with their military exercises at training areas nearby,” the Kremlin’s press service said.
In the same statement, Moscow called on Kiev to cease violence in southeastern Ukraine, immediately.
“Russia calls for the immediate cancellation of the punitive operation and violent actions, on troop withdrawal and finding a peaceful solution to all the problems,” the statement reads, adding that President Putin would welcome meetings between the government in Kiev and supporters of federalization.
Sporadic military clashes between Ukrainian troops and self-defense forces have been reported throughout the weekend in the towns of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region – two hotspots of the ongoing military operation conducted by Kiev to suppress anti-government forces there.
“The gunfire is a fabric of daily life now in Slavyansk, but this is the heaviest fighting I’ve heard in Slavyansk since I got here over a month ago,” said freelance journalist Graham Phillips, who is reporting for RT from southeastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Donetsk and Lugansk regions held referendums on May 11, where the majority of voters supported self-rule. Now the breakaway regions are rejecting the idea of participating in the Ukrainian presidential elections on May 25.
On Sunday, two Russian LifeNews journalists were detained near the town of Kramatorsk, presumably by the Ukrainian military.
News Media Holding, which owns LifeNews, has appealed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, asking him to help with the release of the journalists. Moscow has condemned the detention and asked the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for assistance in releasing the journalists.
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90% oppose Islam in Czech Republic – Poll

Posted: 19 May 2014 03:53 AM PDT

According to Praguepost.com, 90% of the 18,000 Czechs that took part in the European election calculator EUvox consider Islam a threat to the Czech people.
One third of Czech people strongly consider Islam a threat, but overall 90% of Czechs are opposed to it to a certain degree, with just 10% saying they did not oppose Islam.
Michaela Vojtková, from the Academy of Sciences Sociological Institute which conducted an analysis of the results said “The all-European comparison shows that Czech users of EUvox take stands that can be marked as the least tolerant of Islam. Islam is seen as a threat in the Czech Republic more than in France or the Netherlands, whose inhabitants have a direct experience with coexistence with the religious minority,”
“The results have shown that Europe is afraid of Islam. Practically all over Europe, there are no negligible groups of voters who believe that Islam threatens their cultural traditions…”
The sensible solution would be to close off the borders, but the globalist elite would rather flood Europe with people who are different, culturally, religiously and genetically.
Almost every European has open borders and this allows millions of non-European immigrants to pour in. The few that don’t are facing pressure to do the same.

Urban pollution 2.5 times higher, health risks

Posted: 19 May 2014 03:04 AM PDT

The UN urban ambient air quality database reveals that half the urban population monitored is exposed to air pollution at least 2.5 times higher than the recommended level and concludes that city dwellers are at risk of “serious, long-term health problems”. The survey, covering 91 countries and 1,600 cities, shows that most urban areas show air pollution above acceptable levels.
According to the UN’s World Health Organization, seven million people died because of air pollution in 2012, which leads the WHO to conclude that air pollution is “the world’s largest single environmental health risk”, being responsible for one in eight deaths from heart disease, strokes, respiratory infections, chronic pulmonary disease and cancer.
Indoor air pollution
Linked to the deaths is the practice of cooking with biomass, coal, dung or wood stoves, meaning that poorer women and girls are usually those most at risk from breathing in smoke and soot particles in the home. It is estimated that up to 2.9 billion people worldwide use such stoves and that in 2012, 4.3 million people died because of this method of cooking.
Outdoor air pollution
There were a further 2.6 million deaths in 2012 caused by outdoor air pollution in rural and urban areas. Most deaths occurred in South-East Asia and the Western Pacific but the database states that “Many of the world’s cities are enveloped in dirty air that is dangerous to breathe”. Only 12 per cent of city dwellers live in cities where the air quality complies with UN guidelines, while half the urban population monitored is exposed to air pollution at least 2.5 times higher than the recommended level.
More worryingly, data shows that the situation is getting worse. WHO Assistant Director-General for Family, Children and Women’s Health, Dr. Flavia Bustreo, states that “Too many urban centres today are so enveloped in dirty air that their skylines are invisible. Not surprisingly, this air is dangerous to breathe. So a growing number of cities and communities worldwide are striving to better meet the needs of their residents – in particular children and the elderly”.
The way forward
For Maria Neira, WHO Director for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, “”We can win the fight against air pollution and reduce the number of people suffering from respiratory and heart disease, as well as lung cancer.
Effective policies and strategies are well understood, but they need to be implemented at sufficient scale. Cities such as Copenhagen and Bogotà, for example, have improved air quality by promoting ‘active transport’ and prioritizing dedicated networks of urban public transport, walking and cycling.”
The onus appears to be on individual initiatives to take action on a local level, adopting strategies tailored for the city in question, such as banning the use of coal, and using or providing incentives for the use of renewable or clean sources of energy, while improving the efficiency of vehicle engines.
The overall cost of these measures would involve a reduction in public spending in the long term, given the corresponding improvement in public health.
Source

44 die in Balkans historic flooding

Posted: 19 May 2014 02:33 AM PDT

Civilians in Bosnia being rescued by local authorities.

The death toll from record flooding in the Balkans rises to 44 as more bodies have been recovered from the Serbian town of Obrenovac.
Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday that 12 corpses were recovered in the town of Obrenovac, near the capital, Belgrade, bringing the toll in Serbia to 16.
He expressed concern over how many may eventually be found once waters subside. Authorities estimate that 90 percent of the town has been flooded.
According to reports, more than 15,000 people have been evacuated their homes across the country.
Rising waters also threaten Serbia’s largest power plant, Nikola Tesla. Workers at the power station have been evacuated as floodwaters surrounded the plant and a vast area around it.
“Our primary concern is to protect the power plant…we are doing all we can,” Vucic said.
The floods have been unprecedented in 120 years. A new wave of flooding is expected to hit the region on Sunday evening.
Authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina also said the flooding has affected nearly one million people, as almost one-third of the country is flooded with houses, roads and rail lines submerged.
One of the country’s worst-hit areas is the northeast, where more than 20 bodies have been brought to the morgue in the northern city of Doboj. Seven bodies have also been recovered in other affected areas in Bosnia.
The severe weather has prompted Bosnian authorities to declare a state of emergency in the country.
The flooding has also prompted the evacuation of hundreds of people in Croatia, where one person has died.
Unprecedented floods have wreaked havoc in the region over the past three days.
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Russia signs huge gas deal with China

Posted: 19 May 2014 02:22 AM PDT

Russia and China are set to sign a long-awaited 30-year gas contract during a two-day meeting, when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Shanghai on May 20-21.
Gazprom, Russia’s largest natural gas producer, and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) are set to sign a gas deal that will send 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year eastward to China’s burgeoning economy, starting in 2018.
The timing is almost flawless as Russia is looking to shield itself from Western sanctions by pivoting towards Asia, and China desperately needs to switch from dirty coal to more environmentally friendly natural gas.
“The arrangements on export of Russian natural gas to China have nearly been finalized. Their implementation will help Russia to diversify pipeline routes for natural gas supply, and our Chinese partners to alleviate the concerns related to energy deficit and environmental security through the use of ‘clean’ fuel,” President Vladimir Putin said.
The deal has been on the table for over 10 years, as Moscow and Beijing have negotiated back and forth over price, the gas pipeline route, and possible Chinese stakes in Russian projects. The gas price is expected to be agreed at between $350-400 per thousand cubic meters.
“Of course Russia wants to sell gas and resources at the highest possible prices. But because of the sanctions from European partners, we need to find a partner that can buy our gas long-term, which is why at the moment China looks very attractive to us,” Aleksandr Prosviryakov, a partner at Lakeshore International, a Moscow-based asset management firm, told RT at a Confederation of Asia Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) in Moscow ahead of the big meeting on Tuesday.
On Sunday, Gazprom chief Aleksey Miller sat down with his CNPC counterpart, Zhou Jiping, in Beijing to discuss final details, including price formulas.
Siberian pipeline to China
But the sticking point is how to finish the pipeline from Russia to China.
Currently there is one complete gas pipeline that runs throughout Russia to the Chinese border, “Siberian Power” which Gazprom broke ground on in 2007, three years after Gazprom and CNPC signed a strategic cooperation agreement in 2004.
The pipeline stretches across Russia’s Far East and after extension to China, it will deliver gas to the country’s populous north, near Beijing.
Gas could be delivered via Vladivostok, Russia’s eastern port city on the Sea of Japan, or through the city of Blagoveshchensk, an landlocked city in the Amur region.
However, to finish the project for 2018 delivery, Gazprom and CNPC need to come to an agreement on how to finish the proposed portion of the pipeline into China, which could cost between $22-30 billion, according to various estimates. Russia wants China to either pay or issue a loan for the project, which has been a delaying factor in talks.
In 2009, Beijing and Moscow signed a deal that Gazprom would supply China with 30 billion cubic meters of gas a year by 2015, but via the Altai pipeline, which would deliver gas to China’s Western Xinjiang province. Russia stopped work on this project in 2013 and prioritized the ‘Power of Siberia’ line. If and when both pipelines are activated, Russia could be pumping 68 billion cubic meters of gas annually to the world’s second largest economy.
China, the superpower
Home to nearly 1.5 billion people, China’s demand for energy is rising faster than ever. In 2014, the country expects to increase natural gas imports by 20 percent, and import 186 billion cubic meters annually.
“This deal with Gazprom and cooperation with Russia shows that China is expanding, becoming bigger and bigger, and that this part of the world is dominated by China, India, and Russia, the US role is shrinking,” said Aleksandr Prosviryakov.
“China is the fastest growing economy. China is the biggest market in terms of volume and value. China is the next superpower and number one economy in the world,” Peter Panov, Chairman of Triotoni, a Singapore-based investment firm, told RT at the CACCI conference in Moscow.
Russia’s Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky has said the deal is 98 percent ready. China has kept quiet on the subject.
Europe remains Russia’s largest energy importer, having bought more than 160 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2013. However, recent tensions over Russia’s actions in Ukraine have forced European ministers to rethink their dependence on Russian gas, a sentiment that has been openly voiced throughout the continent
“Now is the time for Russia to compromise a little bit so that they can lessen their dependence on Western Europe as a buyer of Russian gas. Diversification is a strategy for Russia to have good long-term business relationships with both Europe and China,” Benedicto Yujuico, president of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry, told RT at an Asian business gathering in Moscow on Wednesday.
“Needless to say, China is a very wise nation and will try and get the best out of both parties, and maneuver: give a little bit to Russia, and a little to the West,” Panov said.
Gas is an important element of the upcoming talks, but the leaders will discuss many aspects of Russia-China relations, including payments systems, military cooperation, and upcoming infrastructure projects.
A record amount of agreements are expected to be signed at the working meeting between Russia and China. Already 30 out of the 43 prepared agreements are expected to be inked, according to presidential aide Yury Ushakov, as reported by RIA Novosti.
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